Former WingSpace owner planning tours, workshops, products at Fruition Farmstead.
“Greg and I believe that community is incredibly valuable and important in the whole scheme of life, and especially during tense times like these, community is a lifesaver,” Banayat said. “Since the two of us are capable individuals who both love growing food, we really liked the idea of spending our time bringing people together in an agricultural venue that is functional on many levels.”
For more than three years, Banayat has operated WingSpace, “an entrepreneurial ecosystem” offering furnished, amenity-rich workspace to freelancers, small businesses, entrepreneurs, non-profits and remote workers supporting one another.
Now, she joins husband Fine as co-owner, co-grower and co-community builder of Fruition Farmstead in Chino Valley. The couple envisions their 2.5-acre micro-farm as a small yet sustainable enterprise to “grow and make things” with their own hands, while ultimately involving the public in small-scale, in-person farmstead experiences.
“Our vision includes tours where people can pick their own fresh food, herbs and flowers straight from the garden on specific days and times of the week,” Banayat explained. “We’ll host small-scale how-to classes for adults and students and small farm-to-table date nights. We’ll have some farm animals and also offer ways for people to participate in growing food and learning right along with us. The emphasis is all about bringing people together.”
After the pair purchased the Chino Valley property in early 2021, Banayat realized she could not effectively divide her time between the two businesses. An ownership transfer of WingSpace to Heidi Lekan closes this month (January 2022). (Watch for more about Lekan in the February QCBN.)
“Even micro-farms require a lot of time, and it is hard, physical work, so I needed to make a decision,” Banayat shared. “I knew I would need to pass the baton of ownership to someone else to take over WingSpace and hopefully make it even better.”
The pressing goal for the couple is construction of a two-story, multi-use barn containing an art studio for Banayat, workshop for Fine, event space, and a short-term one-bedroom vacation rental. With the current stressed construction industry and supply chain issues, they estimate it will take at least six months to obtain the required building permits. Banayat will general contract with the help of an experienced construction consultant, while Fine will function as job site superintendent.
She noted that “starting WingSpace from the ground up taught me a lot about the value of relationships and finding people who believe in your vision. I learned to listen to what is important to others and how important it is to pull people together to plan and problem-solve with you. I also learned that I had to step into a leadership role, even though I never viewed myself as a leader.”
“When you want something bad enough, you’re willing to take on roles that you never imagined you would,” she said. “This barn is a key aspect to this farmstead, so we’re in for some pretty big learning curves. We’ll be putting more trust in God to guide us and connect us with the right people who can help.”
Fine anticipates transitioning from his house painting business once the barn is completed. He retired in 1998 as a captain with the Prescott Fire Department after 20 years of service locally and eight prior years of firefighting in California. A Vietnam veteran, he also taught fire science at Yavapai College, volunteered for 10 years with the Prescott Frontier Days rodeo, and served three years as president of the Prescott High School Booster Club.
He describes the micro-farm as “a long-held dream, which I’m excited to live with someone who is as enthused as I.”
Banayat explained that Fine’s micro-farming experience consists of large gardens, chickens, goats, pigs, a cow and horses. She herself has gardened for the past 10 years and “absolutely loved living one season on a small 10-acre farm with a dozen pregnant cows.”
The farmstead site sits on a hill near Reed Road and Center Street, housing a single-wide manufactured home with a large covered porch and mountain views from Granite Mountain to the San Francisco Peaks.
“I love our home,” she said. “I call her our ugly duckling on a hill, because someday she will become a nice looking swan. The property had everything on our checklist and the land itself is pretty much a blank canvas, which will allow us to implement permaculture principles as we develop the farmstead. We want to arrange gardens and trees and buildings in accordance with the lay of the land to create a flourishing natural ecosystem.”
Having a studio in which to create art is one of the things Banayat said she most looks forward to.
“The focus of my art has always been about rising from the ashes and healing challenging relationships. Our country has become so divided and so many relationships are broken, oftentimes due to misunderstandings. I will be developing a new greeting card line that addresses some of these harder issues in such a way that helps break down the walls of misunderstandings. Using beautiful, artful imagery to convey a message along with poignant prose can be a very powerful way to reach into people’s hardened hearts.”
Her branded Miligirl Collection will include print-on-demand art prints, notecards, journals and possibly clothing or home décor, she said. She also plans to formulate skin care products from herbs and flowers grown on the farmstead.
The duo is documenting the venture’s progress via their Fruition Farmstead YouTube and Rumble.com channels. Their mailing list offers the public information about future events and ways to assist the venture. For more information, visit FruitionFarmstead.com. QCBN
By Sue Marceau, QCBN
